1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge ejector of an optical disc player, and more particularly to the cartridge ejector of an optical disc player which smoothly ejects a cartridge in two steps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, since an optical disc is a very precise recording medium, even slight damage thereto can cause information recorded in the optical disc to be poorly reproduced. Therefore, it has recently been proposed to insert the optical disc in a case or cartridge, so as to protect the optical disc from damage which often occurs when the optical disc is handled. Optical disc players of CD-ROM, MODD, etc., which carry out recording and reproducing by using such a cartridge, receive the disk and cartridge, open a shutter of the cartridge inserted in the disc player and have a cartridge ejector for ejecting the cartridge to an exterior of the disc player during playback.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional optional disc player. The conventional optical disc player has turntable 4, spindle motor 5 for making turntable 4 rotate, optional pick-up 6 for recording information on the disc or reproducing the recorded information, and loading device including loading motor 7.
Loader 2, which transports cartridge 30 to turntable 4, is movably installed on frame 1. On the surface of loader 2 is holder 3, which receives cartridge 30. Holder 3 is inserted in hooking groove 33 of cartridge 30, and locker 9 serves to fix the position of holder 3. On the other side of holder 3 is disposed cartridge ejector 10, which opens shutter 31 of cartridge 30 and causes cartridge 30 to be ejected to an exterior of the disc player.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional cartridge ejector 10. The conventional cartridge ejector has lever 11, which is installed at one side of cartridge holder 3 to be capable of rotating about hinge shaft 12, torsion spring 13, which is combined with hinge shaft 12 so that one end of the torsion spring is in contact with lever 11 and the other end is in contact with cartridge holder 3, thereby biasing lever 11 with a predetermined force. Roller 14 is installed at a free end of lever 11 and is engaged with groove 32 for opening and closing a shutter 31 of cartridge 30.
The operation of conventional cartridge ejector 10 is described below. First, when cartridge 30 is inserted in cartridge holder 3, roller 14 engages with groove 32. As cartridge 30 is inserted further, shutter 31 of cartridge 30 is caused to slide open (to the left in FIG. 2) by virtue of contact with roller 14 as lever 11 rotates in a clockwise direction about hinge shaft 12 (see chain-dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2). When cartridge 30 is completely inserted in cartridge holder 3, cartridge 30 is fixed with respect to holder 3 in the state where locker 9 is inserted in hooking groove 33 of cartridge 30, and, at the same time, shutter 31 is completely opened. At this time, since lever 11 is biased against shutter 3 t of cartridge 30, shutter 31 maintains its opened state.
When cartridge 30 is ejected from the optical disc player, according to the unloading operation of the optical disc player, locker 9 is separated from hooking groove 33 of cartridge so that lever 11 re-rotates in the counterclockwise direction to its initial location by the biasing force of torsion spring 13 installed between hinge shaft 12 of lever 11. Accordingly, cartridge 30, which is in contact with roller 14 of lever 11, is pushed out into an entrance of cartridge holder 3, and, at the same time, shutter 31 closes due to a biasing force on shutter 31.
Here, the force for ejecting cartridge 30 is the force of biasing spring 13 combined with the biasing three on shutter 31 of cartridge 30. Any forces for clamping ejection of cartridge 30 are the frictional forces against the closing of the shutter 31 and the movement of cartridge 30.
Generally, the optical disc player is installed in a horizontal position or a perpendicular position. Therefore, depending on the installed state, the combined frictional forces may be relatively large so as to properly oppose the force to eject cartridge 30. Accordingly, the ejection of cartridge 30 is relatively smooth. However, if the optical disc player is installed so that the combined frictional forces are small, the cartridge is ejected too quickly and may become separated from the disc player.
That is, in the cartridge ejector of the conventional optical disc player, since the elastic force due to the torsion spring is predetermined, ejection of the cartridge can be excessively fast or incomplete, depending on the installed position of the disc player.